Footwear



July 19, 1960 B. LEVINE FOOTWEAR Filed Jan. .27. 1958 a I\"IIIII I BETHLEVINE INVENTOR- ATTORNEY United States Patent Patented July 19, 1960 I:--F.00TWEAR- .ITBethLevine,59 W.,12 th%St., New York, NY.

Filed Jan 27, 1958,Ser. No. 711,261 '3. Claims. (Cl.'36- -11.5)

I hisfinventionreflate to-an improved-construction for fo wean-andmoreparticiilarly to the'type of footwear fwhich iitilizes -strapsto'fsecurethe foot' to' the "shoe. I

In corivehtional'lfootwear of' t'he type'to which this infv entionrelates the curing strapsptilized are attached h endsfto the o 'ositesides of" the 'sho'e n e M v and extend transverslyacross the shoe. Thefoot inserted between insole iand'theistrap and is thereby afiixed tothe shoe?- There are various adverse; effects" from this type struction;Inasmuch'asfthe straps restrict',jmoveme nt "of"foot relative totheshbeby frictionalengagementjwith 'the top of'thefoot, "chafing-of the skinat the 'area'of engagement often results. Moreover, 'thefrictionalengagementjs usually not sufficient to prevent lateral footmovement"therebyjfesulting in an 'unco'mfortable fit.

The instantinvention provides a novel strap arrangement whichcomfortably affixesthe shoeto th'e'foot with chafingand slippage betweenshoe-andfoot reduced to a minimum Additionally relative movement betweenthe shoe and, the foot is prevented particularly at theheel.

Th'eseiresultsare obtainedby the provision of a pair of resilient loopsafiixed at staggered ,locations on opposite sides of the'jshoe. The footis placed throughftheloops and is retained in proper alignment on theinsole by the lateral restraint each loop exerts on the foot againstlateral ans vertical displacement relative to the ishoe. =Siich"displ'ticem'nt isiprevented by a positive normal pressure of the loopsagainst the foot rather than by mere frictional engagement as in thecase of conventional strap arrangements. Consequently, chafing anddisplacement is minimized and a secure comfortable fit is obtained.

The primary object of this invention therefore is the provision of ashoe which is conveniently held on the foot with an arrangement ofcomfortable straps that maintain the shoe in proper alignment with thefoot sole and heel.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a shoe withsecuring straps in the form of loops which accurately retain the foot inproper engagement with the insole thereby reducing chafing andundesirable movement of the foot relative to the insole.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a shoe with loopsattached at opposite sides of the shoe adjacent the shank area which areespecially arranged to receive and retain the foot in close, accurateand comfortable engagement with the shoe.

Additional objects and novel features of the invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description, claims and attacheddrawing in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the novel shoe in place on a foot;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the shoe showing the strap arrangement inextended position;

Figure 3 is a transverse section of the shoe taken along plane 3--3 ofFigure 1 showing the shape assumed by the straps when on the foot;

Figure 4 is a transverse section through one of the loop straps takenalong plane 4-4 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a partial side elevation of the rearquarter of the shoe asseen from plane 5+5 of Figure2. a The drawings illustrate an applicationof the novelstrap arrangementito a ladys shoe. "However; it lshould beunderstood that "althoughthis construction finds/its widest applicationin ladys footwear, it can easily be used "in connection with other typesof footwear such as mens sandals and loafers, etc. i The novel shoeconstruction comprises the conventional outsole 10, insole 11, and heel12. A toe strap "13, made of fabric, leather, etc., is secured at bothof'itsiends fl and'1'5'(Figure 2) to opposite sides of theinso'l at thetoe area of the 'shoe, forming a band through which the toes areinserted and 'by'which it is retained, i

A 'novel pair of shank straps 16and 17' are scured 'to lateral edges ofthe shoe along opposite sides ofthe shank portion 18 of the shoe atlongitudinally staggered locations '19. and20. Straps 16and 17 arefashioned prefer;- ably from strips of fabric or similar material andare formed into loops and secured at their inner ends 2l'rand 22 to theinsole; the outsole is then secured to the insole enclosing the strapends 21 and 22 therebetween. Although fabric is preferred, the strapscan be made from other flexible or elastic materials such asleather,'rubber, plastics, etc. To ensure a snug adjustable grip aboutthe 'foot when the strap is' made of an'inelastic fabric or acteristics.Preferably the ends 21 and 22 are made from such elastic materialinasmuch as thetougher'bottom portion of the foot will engage theelastic ends 0f the'straps rather thanthe more sensitive skin at the topof the foot.

It is to be notedthat'th'e straps 16 and 17 are'a'flixed at acuateangles to the longitudinal shoe axis (Figured); Thus when the foot isinserted through the looped straps they'assume an inclined positionacross the topof -thefoot rather than a positionat right angles to thelongitudinal shoe axis; "The inclination results in a somewhatofspiralarrangement across the instep andx-arch portion 'of the foot providing agreater coverage of footareathereby s c i gt e t qj ha o m e. rm r:InIadd t rtQ preventing lateral or transverse displacement of the foot,the inclined arangement exerts an axial restraint preventing the footfrom sliding forward relative to the shoe.

Each strap exerts an inwardly directed restraining force against thefoot causing the foot to accurately align with the insole and tomaintain a close abutment with the insole. Thus during Walking the heelportion of the shoe closely follows the foot heel. This is particularlyimportant in the backless type shoe. The force exerted by the strapsdoes not depend to any great extent upon friction between the straps andfoot to be effective. The restraining force is transmitted by directnorm'al engagement and hence is transferred by a positive coaction. Inaddition to being more effective in maintaining the foot in properposition against the sole, chafing of the skin is minimized.Conventional straps, such as toe strap 13, restrain lateral andlongitudinal displacement by frictional engagement between the strap andfoot. It is quite obvious that the constant rubbing of the foot by thestrap irritates the skin, although a strap such as 13 is suitable forthe toe area where the foot is relatively thin, the use of such a strapin the shank and heel area would be more objectional since the foot isquite thick at those points and excessive chafing would occur. Theinstant arrangement also exerts balanced opposing forces on the footwhich result in an effective and comfortable connection between the footand the shoe.

The shoe is worn by inserting the foot through the loops formed by thestraps depicted in Figure 3 with the toe fitting under toe strap 13. Asseen in Figure 1, the rear strap 17 engages the foot or instep where itintersects with the leg and exerts an inclined force F2 (Figure 2 on thefoot towards the end 21. Force F2 prevents forward motion of the footand lateral motion away from the side to which strap end 21 is secured.Lower shank strap 16 exerts an inclined force F1 (Figure 2) whichfurther prevents forward movement of the foot and also prevents the footfrom lateraldisplacement away fromthe side to which end 22 is attached.The'straps also prevent upward movement of the foot away from the insoleand heel.

. Due to the elasticity provided by the elastic end portions 21 and 22,the straps comfortably and adjustably fit feet of most configuration anddimension.

The strap arrangement is particularly effective since I I the peripheralsurface of the foot is gentlygrasped by'the .loop which thus encirclesit. Said loop being attached to the shoe sole along a limited portion ofthe circumference thereof, permits the loop to conform itself to theperipheralsurface of the foot which it encircles. The point of.attachment of the loop to the shoe sole being in tangential relationthereto permits a degree of floating action wherein the loop may followthe foot contours and movement, thereby adding substantially to thecomfort and effectiveness of the arrangement.

From the foregoing description it is now apparent that the novel strapstructure disclosed can be inexpensively manufactured, is simple andcomfortable to wear and will firmly maintain the foot in properengagement with the sole.

I have here shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention.It will be apparent, however, that this invention is not limited to thisembodiment and that many changes, additions and modifications can bemade in connection therewith without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention as herein disclosed and hereinafter claimed.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

,1. A shoe assembly comprising a sole having a toe, shank and heelportions including a heel secured to the heel portion and a toe strapsecured at both of its ends to the toe portion, said sole having aninner surface and an outer surface, said toe strap intermediate its endsbeing spaced from the inner surface of the sole for the reception of thetoe of a foot in combination with 4 a shank strap for retaining saidshoe upon the foot, said shank strap comprising a closed loop ofmaterial secured to the shoe sole along a limited portion of thecircumference thereof, said shank strap encircling a portion of theinstep and sole of the foot of the wearer, a portion of said loop, whenthe shoe is worn, being disposed intermediate the sole of the wearer andthe inner surface of the shoe sole.

2. A shoe assemblycomprising an insole and outsole having .toe, shankand heel portions bounded ,by lateral edges in combination with aplurality of looped straps, each of said straps being secured to anopposing lateral edge of the shoe, said straps comprising loops eachencircling the instep and sole of the foot of the wearer and havingportions disposed intermediate the shoe sole and the sole of the foot ofthe wearer.

3. In a shoe including a sole portion, a strap arrangement for retainingthe shoe upon the foot of the wearer comprising a first elongated stripof material, the ends of which are disposed-in juxtaposition with eachother .to form a continuous loop passing-over the instep and under thesole portion of the foot ofthe wearer and are secured along one sideedge of the shoe sole, a second elongated strip of material the ends ofwhich are disposed in juxtaposition with each other to form a continuousloop passing over the instep and under the sole portions of the foot oftheuwearer andare secured along the opposing side edge of the shoe sole,said loops being adapted to receive and encircle the instep portion ofthe foot of a wearer. a 1

1,073,563 France Mar. 24, 1954

